Endangered Pillar Coral

OCEANOS principal investigator Juan Torres-Pèrez points at an endangered species of coral called pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), which was discovered during the fieldwork portion of the internship at Playa Melones, Puerto Rico. The instructors built a ""coral garden"" around the endangered species, in order to protect it. This underwater garden should attract fish and wildlife such as sea urchins, which will give the endangered coral — and the other species in this small reef — a better chance of survival.